Sacred Heart Parish
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Monday, March 30
12:05 PM Eungsu Shin and Dongsuk Lee
Friday, April 3
12:05 PM Libia Isaza
Saturday, April 4
4:00 PM Edward T. Aucoin
Sunday, April 5
9:00 AM Parishioners of Sacred Heart
12:00 Noon Anthony F. Lombardo
CELEBRANTS FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S MASSES
Saturday, April 4
4:00 PM Fr. Connelly
Sunday, April 5
9:00 AM Fr. Imbelli
10:30 AM Fr. St. Martin
12:00 Noon Fr. Connelly
CONFESSIONS
Saturday, April 4 – 2:00 to 3:30 PM
READINGS FOR PALM SUNDAY
OF THE LORD’S PASSION
First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7
Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel Reading: Mark 14:1-15:47
PASSION/PALM SUNDAY
Passion/Palm Sunday will be celebrated next weekend, April 4 and 5. It marks the start of Holy Week. On this day the Church celebrates Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem to accomplish his paschal mystery. The liturgy begins with the blessing of the palms and a procession.
Blessing of the palms will take place at all the Masses. Please assemble in the gathering space of the church for the blessing of the palms and the reading of the Gospel story of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. Please note that the last Mass on Palm Sunday will be at noontime.
2009 CATHOLIC APPEAL
Our appreciation goes out to all parishioners at Sacred Heart who have made a gift to the 2009 Catholic Appeal. The Appeal is to our Archdiocese what the weekly offertory is to our parish. If you have not yet made your gift, please consider making a pledge this weekend. For more information please visit www.BostonCatholicAppeal.com or call 617-779-3700. Thank you! Remember, our parish will receive 25 percent of all funds we raise above our goal.
GUILD OF ST. FRANCIS “BAKE AND BOOK SALE”
The Guild of St. Francis will have a “Bake and Book Sale” on Sunday, April 5, from 10 AM to 12:30 PM in the Parish Center. Donations of baked goods are welcome and can be dropped off before the 9 AM Mass at the kitchen door entrance to the Parish Center. For additional information, please call Gloria Thompson at 617-964-2054.
RECONCILIATION SERVICE – APRIL 6
You have sacrificed during Lent but perhaps the best preparation for Easter is to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There will be a Penance Service at Our Lady Help of Christians on Monday, April 6 at 7:30 PM. Individual confessions will be heard – several priests available. If you should need transportation, please call the rectory at 617-969-2248 and we’ll be happy to help you.
LENTEN ALMSGIVING
Please continue with your gifts of food and clothing for those in need this season with donations to our baskets located in the entrances. Items needed have been written on slips of paper and attached to the signs at the baskets.
Donations to the St. Francis House food drive for March are fruit juices. Donations for April are cold cereals.
EASTER FLOWERS
It is time to think about our beautiful Easter flowers. If you would like to donate monies in memory of a loved one, please feel free to do so. The names of the deceased will be placed in the bulletin at Easter time and we will remember them in our prayers at all the Masses. Checks may be made payable to Sacred Heart Parish and mailed to the rectory.
MONTROSE SCHOOL
Montrose School, located in Medfield, is an independent, college preparatory day school with a distinctively Catholic ethos for girls in Grades 6-12. Montrose is accepting applications for Grades 7 and 9 for September 2009. Tuition assistance and scholarship information is available. For more information, contact the school at (508)359 2423 or visit www.MontroseSchool.org.
THE PILOT
We have some complimentary copies of the Pilot located on the tables by the entrances to the Church. Please feel free to take one home with you.
OFFERTORY INCOME
Weekend of March 21/22 $4,550
GUEST COMMENTATORS
In last week’s bulletin, the column reserved for the pastor’s wisdom or lack thereof was entitled – “The Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian”. It came my way from Robert Hutner, a very wonderful parishioner. His name was placed at the end of the column. I hope it wasn’t embarrassing for Robert because the prayer and comments were written by Saint Ephrem, whereas Robert’s name at the end may have indicated otherwise. Several parishioners mentioned how helpful it was to meditate on the prayer and the commentary.
This week we have a second guest columnist. Mystica Alexander has done excellent work heading up our pro-life work here at the parish. It’s the pastor’s hope that more and more of our parishioners will participate in the parish’s effort to be pro-life, especially the Saturday morning Mass and Rosary and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. It is also the task of our pro-life group to keep the rest of us up-to-date on what’s going on in the pro-life battle. Mystica Alexander has contributed the following column.
On Being Pro-Life
No doubt we Christians live in challenging times. In a society that continually seeks to deny the omnipotence of God and to deny respect for God as Creator, we are called to be His witnesses. We are called to speak out and to strive to protect all life “from the womb to the tomb”.
The challenge for us at Sacred Heart is to find ways that we can effectively defend the defenseless. First and foremost, I think we have to acknowledge that the issue of “life” goes substantially beyond a mere political/cultural issue; it is in fact a spiritual battle of epic proportions. Ultimately, the battle will be won, not necessarily in the courtroom, but through a conversion of hearts and minds as people come to respect the sanctity and dignity of every human life. How do we accomplish such a tall order? Our approach to these life issues here at Sacred Heart is three-fold: (1) Prayer, (2) Education, and (3) Support and Service.
Prayer
Since February of 1994, a group of parishioners has faithfully met on Saturday mornings to pray the Rosary for Life. I would encourage you to join this effort. The Rosary begins immediately after the 9:00 a.m. Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Even if you are unable to join us on Saturdays, keep the unborn and those facing end-of-life issues in your daily prayers. Prayer is powerful!
Education
An essential part of effectively carrying out our Christian obligations in an increasingly secular world is to make sure we stay informed. As you may know, each year during pro-life month (October) we set up a pro-life education table in the Church where literature is available on issues ranging from stem cell research to the death penalty. In addition to that effort, we anticipate that in the near future we will provide you with “life” current events from around the country and around the world on a weekly basis through our parish website. We will also provide you with a semi-annual “pro-life” update and notify you of pro-life events and speakers throughout the Archdiocese. I encourage you to take a few moments each week during your internet surfing to search pro-life news. There are many Catholic websites that provide wonderful, educational resources.
Support and Service
For many years, Sacred Heart parishioners have generously supported Claudia Perdomo’s efforts to collect baby items for the Archdiocesan crisis pregnancy center, Pregnancy Help. We will continue this annual collection. In the coming months we will also be seeking your support of the Massachusetts Citizens for Life annual Rose Drive.
Organizations such as the Massachusetts Citizens for Life are on the front lines locally in the battle over life issues. Another way in which you can support them each year is to attend their annual March for Life on the Boston Common on the first Sunday of October. One of our goals for this year is to coordinate with our neighboring parishes and make transportation to the March available to all who are interested. This is a beautiful way to be a witness for life and to raise money for a worthy cause.
Yes, it is a challenging time to be a Catholic, but through the Grace of God, we will be up to the challenge!
LENTEN DAY OF PRAYER
The Pro-Life Office of the Archdiocese of Boston and Women Affirming Life will be hosting a Lenten Day of Prayer and Reflection on the Sacredness of Human Life on Saturday, April 4, 2009 from 9 am to 2 pm at the Daughters of St. Paul Convent in Jamaica Plain. The guest speaker will be Sister Olga Yaqob of the Boston University Catholic Center. Her topic is Witnesses to Life: Ambassadors for Christ. For more information, please call 508-651-1900 or email ProLifeOffice@rcab.org.
NEW WEBSITE FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE
The Archdiocese of Boston has launched a new website designed to bring Catholics closer to their faith and to offer the wider community an expanded and more comprehensive view of the Church. The new website, www.BostonCatholic.org, was launched on St. Patrick’s Day and contains helpful information on the Church with links to parishes. It also offers a number of new features, including a video welcome message from Cardinal Seán, streamlined navigation, and many new videos and slideshows. Each office, service and ministry has dedicated space on the site.
SIGNINGS
Good Morning,
Just like last week our first reading is about 500 years before Christ was sent to earth from Heaven. Through that great Prophet, Jeremiah, God told us way back then that his plan was to one day teach us all about himself. This finally happens in Christ. We finally come to see and understand God in the way Jeremiah said, God said, we would.
So what is this revelation? This thing that Jesus shows us is that God wills for us all true happiness through suffering and death. Jesus tells us that this happiness, this love, is the thing he has been sent to show. It is "The Hour" for which he has been sent. It is an "hour" in which he will reveal that suffering and death are truly not a one to one correlative to sin. Jesus is sinless. Jesus is Divine. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. Yet it is the Father's plan for him to die, to die in a most painful way no less. And Jesus as man in some way does not recoil from this. However, it is God's plan that he go though it and, with trust and love in the midst of that suffering and darkness of death, save the world.
This revelation now changes our lives. We know that suffering and death are not things we need to try to avoid. We know that the loving Father can and does give these things to us as part of the path we all need to take so as to arrive at his Kingdom.
We are therefore people who like Christ, in some way recoil from suffering, and yet at the same time are not afraid and enter into suffering and even death with trust and love. We know that with Christ, we will emerge victorious on the other side to life fully perfected.
In Christ, Fr. St. Martin
EASTER VIGIL RECEPTION
The Easter Vigil Reception will be held in the Parish Center immediately following the Easter Vigil. It is an opportunity to gather in a spirit of joy after we, as a community, have experienced together the highpoint of the liturgical year. If you would be willing to contribute some refreshments, please add your name to the sign-up sheets that will be on the tables at the back of the church and on the table near the elevator. Crackers and cheese, desserts, and other finger foods are requested. Your items can be left at the Parish Center on Holy Saturday morning between 10 a.m. and noon or just before the Vigil.
EASTER EGG HUNT
On Easter Sunday morning after the 9:00 AM Mass, there will be an Easter Egg Hunt on the rectory grounds for children ages 1-10. We will be filling the eggs on Monday, April 6 at 7:30 PM in the convent. If you can help please call Lisa Nahabedian at 617-244-7756.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
All CCD classes will have the opportunity to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation this week in preparation for Easter. Fr. Connelly will be available for confession today, March 29th for the Sunday program CCD students, at 10:30 am. On March 31st, the Tuesday program will have several priests available for confession for grades 3-5 at 4:15 pm and for grades 6-9 in the evening from 7-8:30 pm in the upper church.
There will be no Sunday CCD program held on Easter, April 12th. Classes are also cancelled on Sunday, April 19th and Tuesday, April 21st due to Spring Vacation week. However, classes will be held for the Sunday CCD program at the end of vacation week on April 26th. Please make a note of this.
Our CCD classes continue to contemplate the sorrowful mysteries of Christ during this Lenten season. Our Blessed Mother asks us to be with her Son as he shows us the depth of his love for us. Mary encourages us to imitate her son: to forgive and pray for those who hurt us, have the courage to get up and begin again when we fall, and to trust in our Father to make all things work together for good even when everything looks bad.
Please remember to love the poor by filling your Rice bowls and giving to St Francis and the Walden School for the Deaf!
Michelle Solomon, Director of Religious Ed
LENTEN AFTERNOON RETREAT
Sunday, March 29 from 1-4:40 PM, Celia Sirois will present “The Cross of Christ: the lens through which God is most truly revealed” at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Wellesley. Registration at 12:30 PM – offering $10.
CALENDAR NOTES
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:
Sunday, March 29 – 9:00 AM (ASL) – Lower Church
Sunday, March 29 – 10:30 AM – Lower Church
EXTENDED COFFEE HOUR:
Sunday, March 29 – 10 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center
WOMEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP:
Sunday, March 29 – 10:30 AM – Convent (DR)
BOY SCOUTS:
Monday, March 30 – 7:30 PM – Parish Center
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – GRADES 1-5:
Tuesday, March 31 – 4 to 5:15 PM – Lower church
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – GRADES 6-10:
Tuesday, March 31 – 7 to 8:30 PM – Lower Church
LITURGY, ADORATION AND THE ROSARY:
Saturday, April 4– 9 AM to 12:30 PM – Lower Church
GUILD OF ST. FRANCIS “BAKE AND BOOK SALE”:
Sunday, April 5 – 10 AM to 12:30 PM – Parish Center